Anyone have there chiller in a vented stand?

lunarlanderboy · 03/22/2008, 01:03 PM

So I know you're not supposed to put your chiller in an enclosed stand but I was wondering if anyone had one in a vented stand or maybe a stand with no back on it. I'm just trying to make things look as clean as possible around my tank and wonder if anyone has come up with anything clever. Thanks.

DarG · 03/22/2008, 01:10 PM

Two things ... Needs to be vented so that the hot air exhausted does not get drawn back into the chiller.
The cooler the location, the more efficient the chiller will cool the water. IOW, the warmer the area the chiller is located in, the longer it will run to cool the tank. There is a maximum temperature that the chiller can operate in and it is usually 90 - 95 degrees.

AZDesertRat · 03/22/2008, 01:50 PM

Yes. Mine is in the stand to the right of my tank in this picture.
I have two speed controlled fans in the door of the stand to assist air flow when the chiler runs.

What you cannot see is the back of the chiller cabinet is open, the chiller is sealed inside the cabinet using foam blocks so air does not short circuit and there are additional vents on the right side of the cabinet.

lunarlanderboy · 03/22/2008, 10:09 PM

Thanks guys! AZ Desert Rat what do you mean when you say sealed inside using foam blocks so air does not short circuit?

AZDesertRat · 03/22/2008, 10:48 PM

So that air did not just circulate around inside the cabinet I stuffed foam rubber between the chiller and cabinet so the front is sealed from the back. This makes cooler air come in through the back of the chiller and exit out the front of the stand . I found when the chiller was just sitting in a open space, hot air would be sucked back around the sides to reenter the chiller. Now all the hot air has to exit completely out the front.

lunarlanderboy · 03/22/2008, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
So that air did not just circulate around inside the cabinet I stuffed foam rubber between the chiller and cabinet so the front is sealed from the back. This makes cooler air come in through the back of the chiller and exit out the front of the stand . I found when the chiller was just sitting in a open space, hot air would be sucked back around the sides to reenter the chiller. Now all the hot air has to exit completely out the front.

ahhhhh...thank you - I want to do something just like this in order to have a chiller which functions well but the aesthetic of an all-enclosed unit.

DarG · 03/23/2008, 09:04 AM

I do basically the same thing but my chiller is in the fish room and vents outside of the fish room. The cutout in the room is larger than the chiller so I use rubber flaps that fold down on top and sides of the chiller so the exhaust doesnt drift back into the fish room and increase the ambient temp

03/22/2008, 01:03 PM	#1
lunarlanderboy Premium Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Novato (Bay Area), CA Posts: 573	Anyone have there chiller in a vented stand? So I know you're not supposed to put your chiller in an enclosed stand but I was wondering if anyone had one in a vented stand or maybe a stand with no back on it. I'm just trying to make things look as clean as possible around my tank and wonder if anyone has come up with anything clever. Thanks. __________________ *** Current Tank Info: 40 gallon glass cube with 40 gallon breeder sump, 250 watt 14K MH, MSX 160 skimmer

03/22/2008, 10:09 PM	#4
lunarlanderboy Premium Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Novato (Bay Area), CA Posts: 573	Thanks guys! AZ Desert Rat what do you mean when you say sealed inside using foam blocks so air does not short circuit? __________________ *** Current Tank Info: 40 gallon glass cube with 40 gallon breeder sump, 250 watt 14K MH, MSX 160 skimmer

03/22/2008, 01:10 PM	#2
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	Two things ... Needs to be vented so that the hot air exhausted does not get drawn back into the chiller. The cooler the location, the more efficient the chiller will cool the water. IOW, the warmer the area the chiller is located in, the longer it will run to cool the tank. There is a maximum temperature that the chiller can operate in and it is usually 90 - 95 degrees.

03/22/2008, 01:50 PM	#3
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	Yes. Mine is in the stand to the right of my tank in this picture. I have two speed controlled fans in the door of the stand to assist air flow when the chiler runs. What you cannot see is the back of the chiller cabinet is open, the chiller is sealed inside the cabinet using foam blocks so air does not short circuit and there are additional vents on the right side of the cabinet.

03/22/2008, 10:48 PM	#5
AZDesertRat Moved On Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: NW Phoenix Posts: 16,621	So that air did not just circulate around inside the cabinet I stuffed foam rubber between the chiller and cabinet so the front is sealed from the back. This makes cooler air come in through the back of the chiller and exit out the front of the stand . I found when the chiller was just sitting in a open space, hot air would be sucked back around the sides to reenter the chiller. Now all the hot air has to exit completely out the front.

03/23/2008, 09:04 AM	#7
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	I do basically the same thing but my chiller is in the fish room and vents outside of the fish room. The cutout in the room is larger than the chiller so I use rubber flaps that fold down on top and sides of the chiller so the exhaust doesnt drift back into the fish room and increase the ambient temp